"Pressure?We are in a meeting, not pressure," Kikwete said on Thursday beforethe emergency summit at
OnWednesday, Zimbabwean police raided the headquarters of the country's mainopposition party, increasing pressure on regional leaders.
"Yourcoming is a clear testimony of your commitment to the maintenance of peace andsecurity in our region," Kikwete told leaders from the 14-nation SADC.
"Indeed,our region faces some daunting challenges ... However complex anddifficult some may appear, none of them is difficult to fix."
TheEuropean Union (EU) said on Thursday it is "deeply concerned" by therepression in
Thecriticism of Mugabe's government follows the continued harassment ofthe country's political opposition groups.
MorganTsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Zinmbabwe'sleading opposition party, was hospitalised two weeks ago after beingbeaten while in police custody.
HaruMutasa, Al Jazeera's correspondent at the summit, said the SADC delegates wereuncertain on how to best address the current issues in
"Fellow African leaders, publicly at least, stillregard Mugabe as a revolutionary hero," she said.
"Butthere is unease here at the summit at what is happening in
"Thebrutality of a
HumanRights Watch, a
Three SADCcountries charged with dealing with
Tanzanianofficials said SADC chiefs would try to convince Mugabe to meet the MDC leadersin an effort to dissolve the tensions that threaten
Eyeon
The SADCsummit agenda also includes recent developments in the Democratic Republic ofCongo.
Clasheslast week between the military and militia loyal to Jean Pierre Bemba, formervice-president and ex-rebel chief, claimed up to 500 lives, according to theGerman ambassador in
Bemba hastaken refuge at the South African embassy in
Source:Agencies